calamari in soy sauce

i added some vegetables into this dish as my little imtiaz loves cubed carrots and potatoes...lovely...

600g squid, cut into rings
1 tsp salt
2 onions, cut into rings
3 red chillies, sliced
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp salty soy sauce
salt and black pepper to taste
carrots and potatoes, cubed

blended ingredients:
6 shallots
4 garlic
2 cm tumeric
3 cm ginger

• marinate the squid with salt for 15 min.
• heat oil in wok. add in the blended ingredients
• add in the vegetables
  
• add in the marinated squid. mix well
• add in the onions and chilli
• add in the soy sauce
• season to taste
• serve with hot rice

creamy leek, mushroom and chicken pie

a one dish meal that can satisfy your hungry stomach...

Filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
300g minced chicken
250g button mushroom, roughly chopped
2 leeks, sliced
3 tbsp flour
200ml chicken stock
200ml milk
salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley
grated zest of 1 lemon

Top:
5 medium-sized potatoes,peeled and cut into small chunks
100ml milk, warmed
1 tbsp butter

• heat the oil in a large saucepan. add in minced chicken and mushrooms. cook over medium heat, stirring 3-5 min until lightly cooked and browned.
• add in leeks and cooked until softened
• stir in the flour until mix well, then stir in the stock, milk and season with salt and pepper
• bring to boil and simmer gently for 5 min.
• stir in the parsley and lemon zest, remove from heat and set aside
  
• boil the potatoes for 10 min until tender
• drain potatoes and mash with warmed milk and butter. season with salt and pepper
• preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius
• spoon the filling into an ovenproof dish. spread the mashed potatoes over the top
• sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese on top
• bake the pie for 20-30 min until the top is golden

carrot and lemon soup

improvised from a recipe in Midweek Meals Made Easy..

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
1 garlic, crushed
600ml chicken stock
juice from a lemon
chopped parsley
salt and pepper

• heat oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion, carrots and garlic until softened
• add stock, juice and half of the parsley. bring to boil. reduce heat, cover and let simmer gently 6-8 min or until tender.
• season with salt and pepper
• allow to cool before pureeing
• puree about 3/4 of the soup until smooth
• return puree to pan and heat until boiling
• sprinkle the remaining parsley

crispy chocolate chip cookies

my first kuih raya this year...simple, yet crispy and absolutely mouthwatering..

1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal, blended
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
2 tsp hot water
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped almond

• preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius
• cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth
• beat in eggs, one at a time
• stir in vanilla
• dissolve bicarbonate soda in hot water
• add to batter along with salt
• stir in flour, oatmeal, choc chips and almonds
• drop a spoonful batter onto ungreased pan
• bake for 10 min

crispy calamari rings

absolutely crispylicious!

300g squid
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp paprika or more
oil for frying

• cut the squid into rings, wash and drain
• season the squid with salt and pepper
• beat the eggs
• transfer the squid into the egg
• mix the flour, paprika and baking powder
• pour in the squid mixture into the flour mixture
• deep fry for 5 min until golden
  

beef stroganoff

simply delicious!

1 kg top sirloin beef - trimmed and cut into thin strips
salt and ground blackpepper to taste
3 tbsp olivw oil
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
5 fresh button mushroom, quartered/sliced
1/2 green capsicum, sliced
1/2 red capsicum, sliced
2 tbsp brown sauce powder mix with a cup of water
3 tbsp sour cream/yogurt

• sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and stir fry in a very hot pan with some olive oil until brown. remove and set aside
• melt butter in the same pan, saute the onion until translucent. add in mushroom, capsicum and continued continue sauteeing until slightly soft
• add in the diluted brown sauce and let simmer for 5 min. return the sauteed beef to the pan and simmer until heated through
• stir in sour cream and mix well.
• serve with pilaf rice

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vegetable rice pilaf

our family favourite's (especially the kids)!....can be eaten on its own! or pair it with the delicious beef stroganoff.. recipe from chef zam..

2 onions, chopped
250g butter
1kg long grain rice/basmathi (washed and drained)
salt & pepper to taste
2 litres chicken stock
2 bay leaf
1/2 green capsicum, chopped }
1/2 red capsicum, chopped }
1/2 yellow capsicum, chopped } saute in some butter and set aside
1/2 cup green peas }
1/2 cup fresh mushroom, chopped }
chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

• melt butter in a heated rice cooker and saute the onions until translucent
• stir in the the washed rice, salt, bay leaves and pepper
• add in chicken stock to the rice
• once the liquid is absorbed, stir in the sauteed vegetables
• sprinkle some coriander leaves
  
• serve with beef stroganoff

chocolate bread and butter pudding

we love bread and butter pudding..this time round, i improvised the recipe and turned it into a yummy chocolate version....Jihan loves picking the chocolate chips, that's why i generously put lots and lots of chocolate chips in it...

1 loaf of bread
300ml chocholate milk
2 eggs
50g castor sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
butter for spreading
generous amount of chocolate chips

• preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius
• spread the butter on both sides of the bread slices. arrange the bread slices in a baking dish. you can sprinkle the chochlate chips in between the layers
  
• whisk the milk, eggs, sugar and cocoa powder
• pour the milk mixture to the bread. sprinkle more chocolate chips on top.
• leave to soak for about 30 min.
• bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 min

roasted pepper and potato soup

having hot soup for iftar is really satisfying!...it keeps your body warm and it makes you feel good too..yesterday, i tried this out and it turned out marvellous...i got this recipe from chef zam while attending an event last year...so i modified a bit to suit my taste...

2 potatoes, diced and boiled till tender

1 onion, diced

2 red pepper

500ml chicken stock

60 ml fresh milk ( i used low fat milk)

salt and pepper to taste

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp butter + some olive oil

some fresh parsley, chopped

• preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius, roast the pepper for about 10-15 min with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper
• cool the pepper in a zipper lock bag. once cooled, puree the pepper and set aside
• heat butter and olive oil in a pot. add in the potato and onion, fry till fragrant and the ingredients are coated with butter for about 5 min. add a dash of ground blackpepper and salt to it
• in another pot bring the chicken stock to boil, add the stock to the potato. add in bay leaves and let simmer for 15 min
• add in milk, season with salt and pepper
• remove the bay leaf. puree half of the soup and return the pureed soup to the pot
• add in the pureed roasted pepper to the pot and mix well
• garnish with the chopped parsley

Quick and easy spaghetti bolognese

i've tried many version of spaghetti bolognese and i love them all...this is another version of it...it is always the kids' favourites!

1 packet spaghetti, prepared according to the package
400g minced meat/chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic , crushed
1 onion, chopped
a handful of fresh mushroom, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
400ml beef stock
400 ml passata (Italian tomato puree)

440g can of chopped tomato (i used whole tomato)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp dried oregano or a handful of fresh oregano, chopped
grated parmesan cheese to serve with (optional)

• heat oil in a pan. add in the mince meat and fry till brown
• add in the vegetables - onion, garlic, mushroom, celery and carrot.
  
• add in the passata and beef stock.
• season to taste. add in the oregano
• let simmer till the sauce is a bit thicken
• serve with the spaghetti and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top

creamy potato and leek soup

this is a simple dish that my kids love very much...if you don't have leek in stock, you can substitute with onion...

4 potatoes, cubed
2 leeks, sliced
1 onion, sliced
600 ml chicken stock
2 1/2 tbsp butter
2 celery sticks, sliced
200ml cream (i used low fat cream)

• boil the potato together with the chicken stock until tender
• in another skillet, heat the butter on medium heat and add in leek, onion and celery and cook until soft
• once both are done, transfer the leek mixture into the chicken stock and add cream to it...
• let simmer for another 10 min
• serve warm with toasted crusted bread

* if you don't want to use cream, you can puree some of the ingredients after the soup is done and mix back into the soup...

fried pasta with minced beef sauce

an eye opener for breakfast, i would say...the combination of western and oriental taste in one lip-smacking dish...! the kids love it so much..and the parents too!

200g pasta, prepare according to the packet, drain and set aside

3 fresh button mushroom, sliced

100g minced beef/chicken

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 tsp chopped shallot

1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tomato, diced

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp sesame oil

pepper and salt to taste

4 tbsp tomato sauce

1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped

• heat oil in wok and fry garlic, shallot and ginger till fragrant
• add minced beef and stir fry until fragrant
• add the mushroom, sesame oil, tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper
• add in the pasta and tomato
• lastly, add in the coriander leaves
• fry until all well combined

easy peasy onion soup

when i cooked this soup 2 days ago, the aroma of the caramelized onion filled the entire house...it made everybody felt hungry and their stomachs started growling...this is such an easy recipe without compromising its superb, delicious taste...serve the hot soup with toasted crusted bread and cheese..walla!

4 onions, thinly sliced

1 litre beef stock

2 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup butter

• in a pot, melt the butter
• add in the onions and fry till soft and let it caramelized for about 20 min. cover and stir occasionally
• add in the beef stock and the bay leaves
• let simmer on low fire for about 1/2 hour or more ( the longer you leave it, the greater the taste)
• season with salt and pepper
• serve hot with toasted crusty bread and cheese

chicken with mushroom

this is another lip-smacking dish that will keep your saliva drooling for more.....for a more creamy version, scroll down for amendments...

3 cups sliced mushroom (i used fresh white and brown button mushroom)

1/2 chicken, cut into pieces (or you can just use chicken breasts)

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

2 tbsp + 2 tbsp butter

1 cup mozarella cheese, shredded

3/4 cup chicken stock

1 carrot, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced

• preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius
• heat 2 butter in pan, sauté the mushrooms, carrots and bell peppers. set aside
• dip chicken into beaten eggs, then roll into bread crumbs
• in the same pan, over medium heat, brown both sides of chicken (add more butter if needed)
• arrange 1/2 of the mushroom at the base of a casserole dish. place the chicken on top of the mushroom. then, arrange the remaining vegetables and mushroom on top of the chicken.
• add in the chicken stock to the pan
• sprinkle the cheese on top of that
• bake in preheated oven for 30-40 min or until the chicken is no longer pink.

for a creamier version, substitute the chicken stock with a can of cream of mushroom - more lip-smacking!

roasted tomato soup

lovely, lip-smacking soup....a bowl of soup packed with vitamin A and all the goodness of vegetables...yummy!

adapted from 101 low-fat feasts book...

3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 potato, roughly chopped

600ml chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

• preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius
• put the chopped vegetables in a pan, sprinkle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. roast the vegetables in the oven for about 40 min.
• when ready, pour a little bit of the chicken stock into the pan and scrape the pan and pour the roasted vege into the remaining chicken stock
• puree the soup till smooth and creamy
• serve with pasta or crusted bread